Veteran of hurt
by Fourteen Lines
Summary: One Shot: A conversation between Vincent and Tifa... about love.


**Veteran of Hurt**

Summary: A conversation between Tifa and Vincent about love.

Author's Notes: I realize my style in writing is really… dark and depressing. So I've decided to write something light-hearted. Hopefully it turns out good!

* * *

Geostigma was an issue of the past. Peace has yet again, been established by the heroes from two years ago.

Yet, life for Tifa Lockhart was not as forgiving as she would have wanted. Cloud had decided to help out with the World Regenesis Organisation, WRO for short, and had been away too frequently. For that, she was glad that Vincent had been stopping by a lot more lately. It started off as a miscommunication on Reeve's part. He had sent Vincent to deliver a parcel to Cloud, only to realize that Cloud was sent to Cosmo Canyon by the organization to pick up some information from Nanaki. That night, Tifa offered Vincent a drink.

"Cloud won't be home anytime soon. He just left two days ago."

"…I see."

"Stay for a drink. You look swamped." It was true. He had been working too hard lately, searching for clues to the kidnapping cases around the cities.

She took his silence for a yes and mixed a raspberry cocktail for him. That night, when he left, he felt as if Tifa had worked magic into the drink. It made his head blank out, and the sweetness buried the pain he always felt in his heart.

It was addictive.

He found himself looking for excuses to land his hand on that drink. Eventually, he went back to the bar almost three times a week, looking for ways to relieve his thoughts of Lucrecia. Now, Tifa and him had almost talked about everything under the skies. It was easy to talk when his head was fuzzy. The cocktail was good at opening parts of him he never knew existed. Sometimes, when he had more than three shots, he would be babbling things he never seemed to remember.

This day, he found himself approaching a topic he had avoided for thirty odd years.

"I'm quite wary of people who seem to love easily. Too emotional… and needy. A person that loves easily, hates easily. And I stay away from them."

Vincent was sipping his second shot of the drink. "…Is this about Cloud?"

She had taken a moment to think. He wondered if he had gone too far, and had offended her. But when she reply, a smile was pulling at her lips, and Vincent heaved a sigh of relief. "Actually… yeah, now that you said that…" A short pause, "To tell the truth, I don't even know what love is. It was like a whirlwind… Suddenly, I'm in the middle of it, enjoying the torture like a masochist."

"Yes… indeed. Whirlwind is a fitting metaphor…" He looked at the drink in his hand and closed his eyes. "Love is something all-consuming…"

"You sound like a veteran."

"Only as experienced as you are."

"Ahhhh… That's not a lot of experience."

"You flatter me." Tifa quirked an eyebrow at him and smiled, not understanding what he meant.

"I guess we've both fallen for people who… just have too much to deal with."

"Indeed… From his name to his memories… Cloud is a man of many issues."

Tifa narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, like Lucrecia. From her hair to her baby, she too, has many issues." He should have flipped at her, but the alcohol in his system convoluted his thoughts, and he found himself enjoying the tint of humour in her words, disregarding the biting pain that would have surfaced had he been sober.

"Issues of hair… Reminds me of Rude."

"Now, Vincent, that doesn't make sense, does it? He doesn't have any to worry about."

Tifa found herself giggling at the conversation they were having. Vincent was not quite himself, and she enjoyed every moment of it. To forget everything that had happened years ago, and just revel in the mundane joys of an everyday banter about their friends. She looked up from the bar and stared into his eyes. The redness within swivelled, dulled by the alcohol, yet shining with amusement.

The laughter choked in her throat and she found herself curious about this man. "Are you still hurting, Vincent?"

He lowered his gaze and shook the glass in his hand before downing all of its remaining contents. "I was… consumed by an overpowering love."

She nodded, knowing what he meant. Nevertheless, a part of her was glad that he used 'was' instead of 'am'. "Maybe one day we'll both walk out of it. What we're feeling – this – overpowering love that you speak of… just isn't healthy."

Part of his face was again covered by his cloak, shutting the world away. "…Indeed."

"You know, sometimes I think it isn't even love. It's more than that. It's insidious, dark and obsessive. Sometimes I don't know why it hurts so much. When I ask myself why I'm so in love with Cloud, the answer is always a blackout in my head." She sunk deeper into her seat and laid her head on her arm.

"I've… never thought about it that way." Vincent admitted, lifting his gaze to meet hers.

"Well… it's just a different perspective to look at everything. Phantom pain hurts more than real pain sometimes." She smiled, and turned to make another glass of that cranberry cocktail, "But every pain has its cure."

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Author's Notes: Annnnnnnnnnnd perhaps the cure to Vincent and Tifa's pains are... well, each other. 8D

Okay, I wanted to just go to bed… but it's so stuffy… So I started writing something… Okay. It's not as lighthearted as I wanted it to be after all. Vincent X Tifa and lightheartedness just doesn't mix for me I guess. Sorry, Rude. The issue of your baldness was a little tempting.


End file.
